It is common practice to apply labels to containers or bottles to provide information such as the supplier of the container or the contents of the container. Such containers and bottles are available in a wide variety of shapes and sizes for holding many different types of materials such as detergents, chemicals, personal care products, motor oil, beverages, etc.
Polymeric film materials and film facestocks have been described for use as labels in various fields. Polymeric labels are increasingly desired for many applications, particularly clear polymeric labels since they provide a no-label look to decorated glass and plastic containers. Paper labels block the visibility of the container and/or the contents in the container. Clear polymeric labels enhance the visual aesthetics of the container, and therefore the product, and are growing much faster than paper labels in the package decoration market as consumer product companies are continuously trying to upgrade the appearance of their products. Polymeric film labels also have superior mechanical properties, such as tensile strength and abrasion resistance.
Traditional pressure sensitive adhesive (PSA) labels often have difficulty adhering smoothly to containers having curved surfaces and/or complex shapes without wrinkling, darting or lifting on the curved surfaces. The label size of typical PSA labels is limited to no larger than ¼ inch (6.35 mm) away from the edge (beginning) of curvature of a container or article. Shrink sleeve labels have typically been used on these types of compound containers. Labeling operations are carried out using processes and methods that require the formation of a tube or sleeve of the heat shrink film that is placed over the container and heated in order to shrink the film to conform to the size and shape of the container. Alternatively, the containers are completely wrapped with a shrink label using a process wherein the shrink film is applied to the container directly from a continuous roll of film material and then heat is applied to conform the wrapped label to the container. However, label defects can occur during labeling operations of simple or compound shaped bottles during application or in post application processes. These misapplied labels result in high scrap or extra processing steps that can be costly.
The present invention provides a pressure sensitive adhesive label that can be applied to containers and articles on complex shapes and compound curves with less material required and less cost than for shrink sleeve or shrink wrap labels. In addition, the labels of the present invention enable the user to expand the billboard or graphics region of traditional pressure sensitive labels on containers and articles having complex shapes and/or compound curves.